Drug boats, super yachts and little old us

Its hard to believe so much has happened in only a week since we left Gibraltar.  

We are currently one of only three visiting yachts berthed in the port of Malaga right in the centre of the city.  Earlier this week we cycled 50km on our Bromptons from Benalmadena to Malaga and back because the pilot book said there isn't a marina in Malaga ...its a commercial port.  But when we cycled past the port we spotted a few boats...all Spanish and on what looked like permanent stern-to moorings.  Just out of interest Greg spoke to some people from a company who were selling day trips on their commercial catamaran and asked whether it was possible to moor here. The very kind man said that you have to talk to the port police....he then offered to ring them and speak in Spanish for us.  Lo and behold we managed to secure a berth for the next day, so we cycled back to Benalmadena and set out in Viridian for Malaga, hardly daring to believe they would let us in when we arrived....but hey presto, they saw us approaching on the AIS and were expecting us.... and here we are - Greg has their phone number securely in his contacts list in case we need it for the future!

Moored up in Malaga

Puerto Malaga at night

We decided to visit the castle ...along with other tourists out in the 37 degree sunshine including a half hour walk up a very steep hill! At the ticket office I noticed a sign that said concessions with the correct documentation.  So fully expecting it not to count, I got out my senior railcard which I bought on my recent trip back home; it doesn't even have my picture on it but when I showed it to the cashier, she charged me only 60 cents for the concessionary ticket and looked at Greg and then gave him the concession as well.!!! I almost laughed out loud...he was wearing a 'wife beater' and was looking quite muscular but clearly his toyboy days are well and truly over!   

The castle was worth the visit; it is very well preserved and has beautiful gardens within it.  The views are stunning and we could just see our boat looking tiny down in the harbour. 

Great view of Malaga from the top of the castle

Old folk having a rest at the top

Earlier this week we had a bit of serious excitement in Fuengirola.  

We were on deck and moored on the waiting pontoon because there wasn't any other space in the marina, when a tiny fishing boat came into the marina towing a massive black rib with three 350HP Yamaha engines on the back.  The Capitan helped him to moor it alongside us and then the excitement began.  It drew crowds of people for the next few hours on boats and on the pontoon.  You can probably see why from the pictures.  Greg did some research while we were waiting and discovered that never mind the cost of the boat, the engines alone cost £25,000 each!

Who needs 3 350HP engines and why?.....

The fisherman turned out to be quite a fragile old man, so he sat on our boat and had a drink whilst waiting for the police and to make his statement.   When the numerous  police arrived we got talking 
to them and it turns out they believed it to be an abandoned drug runners boat.  They stayed and guarded it in shifts until it was finally towed away in the dark. We then saw it being shifted by lorry the next day.

When its on the low-loader you can see how big it is!

Hopefully the fisherman will get some of the salvage value....  

Our biggest mistake this week was deciding to moor in Puerto Banus.  As we sailed past up the coast on our way to Marbella, we spotted the superyacht Yas at anchor outside Puerto Banus, presumably because it was too big to get in....apparently it is based on a naval frigate and owned by Sheik Hamdan bin Zayed (half-brother of the Emir of the UAE). At 141 metres she is the 6th largest yacht in the world!

Superyacht Yas

When we were in Marbella there were endless ferries going to Puerto Banus so we decided to go and see what all the fuss was about.  In hindsight we should have stayed in Marbella and cycled there but instead we went on Viridian and moored there at an extortionate cost. Several people had been telling us how brilliant it was, so perhaps our expectations were too high. There were a few slightly larger yachts moored up, but certainly nothing on the scale of the superyachts and glamour of the marinas in Sint Maarten or Juan-les-Pins - and there were very few sailing yachts there....they were nearly all motor boats.  

Relaxing in Puerto Banus - its much cheaper to drink on board

Yes, the shops are all designer but no-one seemed to be shopping in them; there was just an endless trail of ordinary people (us included) gawping and who had come from other resorts for the day. We saw quite a few very expensive sports cars, driven by young, tattooed males and numerous Arthur Dayley look-alikes driving Bentleys.  I couldn't get over the fact that when we had been cycling on the outskirts of Marbella we had spotted a place where you could hire a Ferrari or a Lamborghini for a day; is that where the cars were from or do the very rich really roar round the streets of Puerto Banus showing off to tourists?  Happy to stand corrected. We won't be returning to Puerto Banus.

The arrogance of the rich

Jan back

Leaving the marina in La Linea yesterday we went round to Gibraltar to fill up with duty free diesel.  Business is brisk there with a constant queue for the pumps....at 45p per litre why would anyone fill up in the adjacent Spanish ports where it is 113 Euro per litre?

When we arrived, there were a couple of very large vessels on the pumps and a large Discovery in front of us.  We circled for about 20 minutes and then the Discovery got its turn.  We were waiting for an Oyster 82 yacht called Starry Night to finish.  It was on the dock when we arrived and would surely be full soon.  As we were circling close, the owner informed us that they wouldn't be leaving soon because their chef had gone ashore and would be at least half an hour!  So they were parking on the fuel dock while their chef went shopping and everyone else could wait for them.  Greg was apopleptic!!!!  We could see the fuel dock attendant waiting around and I put my hands up to express frustration and one of them mirrored me in a shrug that said 'what can you do!'  

After circling for another half hour they were still there, so we went close again and could see that no fuel was going into the boat but by now palms had clearly been oiled because the attendant pretended to look at the pump and said...'maybe another 20 minutes'....we could see the pipe was laying on the ground and was not on the boat.  They could easily have moved the boat back down the pontoon but clearly couldn't be bothered.

Then surprise surprise the chef returned and amazingly the 'fuelling' was finished and we were summoned in.  Greg complained and as an excuse the attendant said..well they did have 1200 litres which took a long time.  We fuelled our tanks.... with 680 litres in 11 minutes.  We rest our case. 

Apart from little frustrations like that, its really great to be back on board.  I have just returned from a week in the UK, doing a couple of days work, seeing both mums and our children. I have now realised why some of our friends who live abroad never see us when they come home. Its mad trying to fit everybody in and organise the logistics.  I really missed my car....using public transport and lugging sail bags without wheels everywhere did my frozen shoulder no good at all; so in the end I bought an old lady's shopping trolley from a charity shop in Maidenhead, wheeled my bags around on it and then abandoned it at Luton airport on the way back.  I had to dismantle it so it didn't look like a suspicious bag at the airport which may have created havoc; but it served its purpose for the duration of the trip.

Those of you who know me well will understand when I say I thought I was going to do loads of secret shopping in London without Greg there to hold me back..but guess what...I didn't buy anything apart from a tube of mosquito bite cream at the airport; I just don't need anything.....Wow never thought I would be able to say that, but its quite liberating!

While I was away, Greg was adopted by some very nice people in the marina in La Linea and they went out to dinner and for drinks together.  People are extremely friendly in the main and lots of people are discussing where they will 'over winter' because I guess there will be quite a strong sense of community when people are in one place for a while. Nigel and Terry were sailing most of the way and then their wives joined them in La Linea.  Nigel had a special burgee to hoist with the words Wife on Board for when she arrived.  Paula didn't seem upset in the slightest by the witch on a broomstick image that went with it!

'Wife on Board with Broomstick' burgee...not flying very well as there was no wind

We are now leaving Gibraltar and sailing up the coast of Spain....we are really looking forward to meeting up with my brother Andrew and his wife Wendy next week in Estepona.  It's a beautiful day, perfect wind and suddenly seems much warmer.  

Leaving Gibraltar.  

Holed up in Gibraltar

Apologies if this update is a bit dull, but we haven't done very much recently. Jan has had to go back to the UK for the week so for the past few days I have been moored in Alcaidesa Marina in La Linea. If at any time you are looking for a mooring around here I would strongly recommend it - nice facilities; good security and very reasonable prices. 

Alcaidesa Marina

One thing that is quite interesting here is the weather. Every morning there has been an incredibly thick fog - sometimes such that you can't see to the end of the pontoon, and the temperature is quite low.

Early morning

One hour later

Later in the day the fog disperses quite suddenly and the temperature rises rapidly. I've been doing a few boat chores and I have to make sure that they have been completed in the morning because come the afternoon its really too hot to do anything except sit in the shade. 

Whilst we were here we decided to explore Gibraltar and took a minibus tour to the top of Gibraltar Rock, which was very interesting. 

Apart from the fabulous views over Gibraltar Bay and the famous monkeys there is also St Michael's cave - which is huge. We also went inside the old siege tunnels which were excavated in the late 1700's and were fascinating.

St Michael's cave

The thing that has entertained me most while I have been here has been my next door neighbour. He has a Fontaine-Pajot catamaran and must have been the boat salesman's dream because his boat has more options than I have ever seen! He is very boat-proud and seems to spend most of every day washing and cleaning it, even though the boat hasn't actually been anywhere to get salty or dirty. You have to pay for water here and I would hate to see the water bill when he leaves. 

That's it for now,....looking forward to Jan getting back on Monday when we will leave and head on up the coast of Spain. 

Sighting Africa!

Jan here again

I have no idea why I got so excited today when we spotted the African coastline.  Let's face it you can see it from southern Spain but it was the fact that we were sailing so near and the realisation of the possibilities ahead just got to me. 

We are now one stop away from Gibraltar.  Tonight we are in the marina in Barbote where earlier this afternoon we are convinced we encountered Manuel's brother from Fawlty Towers.  He kindly offered to take our mooring lines even though we had it under control...but he insisted and ran around frantically like a little buzzing fly muttering and shouting in Spanish but unfortunately he just draped the mooring lines over the cleats instead of securing them and before we knew it we were all at sea again, but with the stern of the boat veering towards a particularly large metal pillar.  Greg was not amused.......we are going to have to do a bit of 'touching up' in Gibraltar! 

This is the third Spanish state run marina we have been to this week. They are all consistent in price and facilities but are all located in a concrete wilderness absolutely miles from the town and none of them have wifi or bar, restaurants or shops.....as the pilot says of the Cadiz marina ...

'..though set amidst bleak surroundings nearly a kilometre from the old city walls (another understatement), it offers good shelter and security for the yacht while the crew explore elsewhere. 'Thank goodness we have the Brompton bikes with us!

Anyway although there is not a lot architecturally or culturally to recommend Barbote .... as luck would have it, we soon discovered that there is a festival here today when we heard the band tuning up.  There are two massive stages just across from the marina on the outskirts of the town and we are being treated to competing and very loud music. Greg had a look at the line up but we don't recognise any of the bands.  I am pleased to report that we can hear it without needing to pay and it goes on all night apparently!

We have encountered some pretty high winds and strong swell on this coastline, with odd wind shifts and not always as forecast. Apparently it hasn't been typical. Sometimes it was exciting when we were going downwind as in when we turned east at Cap Vicente towards Lagos but when banging into it not so comfortable.

Just about to turn east towards Gibraltar

At the start of this week we actually turned back when we were en route to Cadiz because the winds became so strong on the nose and we ended up in an interesting place called Chipione.  It was a very colourful place and the beach umbrellas were particularly striking.

The calm after the storm in Chipione

They corral fish there by building walls to hold the sea water in at low tide and trap the fish and shellfish.  It is forbidden to walk on the corrals and I got up early to try to see the Corralisters catching the fish. I only spotted one man there so perhaps I was too late.

One of the man made corrals to trap fish and which also serves as a saltwater swimming pool for tourists during the day

We then went on to Cadiz and loved the city, enhanced by an absolutely brilliant meal out in the evening at La Candella.  Greg told me off for trying to attract the chef's attention when he was cooking (it was one of those open kitchens) .......I just wanted to give him a thumbs up because the food was delicious but apparently I was a  bit embarrassing.  Cadiz was a relaxing experience because there are many lovely interesting streets to wander through in the old town and lots of nice bars in which to sit and watch the world go by.  

We then took a train to Seville for the day.  We have noticed that there are still many people employed to do jobs here that are now automated in the UK.  There are assistants at every counter waiting for customers to help...not a queue in sight! The Spanish trains are so clean and air conditioned...it was a very civilised journey and we passed through a very beautiful station at Jerez; home of sherry making!

Seville is beautiful if you haven't been there.  We absolutely loved the cathedral and the views from the tower.  It was so vast I found it really difficult to take photos inside because nothing I could take on my phone actually captured the majesty and scale of it.  The views from the tower were breathtaking and and the ancient architecture as well as the new parasol building are stunning.   Why do people feel the need to carve their names on everything though; its so sickening. 

The parasol structure, built with the minimum of foundations over Roman remains so they can still be seen 

Greg was as always the height of tourist fashions our trip to Seville.  I was just grateful he decided not to wear his Vibrams though!

I am told this sock look is fashionable

Stunning views from the Giralda Tower of the largest gothic cathedral in the world in Seville

Our only regret on this bit of coast is that we didn't spend enough time in the Algarve. We spent a couple of days in the marina in Lagos and then we anchored in Portimao. In Lagos we hit the eye watering £90 a night marina fee and we had to stay 2 nights because of the high winds but in that time we got to talk to quite a lot of people in similar circumstances to ourselves.  We were struck by how many had succumbed to what I believe is sometimes called 'port rot'.....ie they arrived, stayed a bit...liked the place...stayed a bit longer...met some friends...stayed a bit longer.... now live there on their boats and haven't left the marina for at least a year! There was quite a Brit community there, enjoying retirement in the sunshine on their boats.

We decided to celebrate our arrival in Lagos with one of my retirement presents.  

We haven't caught port rot yet but I have so many purple, yellow and green bruises that you could be forgiven for thinking I had some other kind of rot! (I have spared you the story of falling down the slippery steps at the dinghy dock in the dark last week in case my mum reads this!)

I have to catch a flight back to the UK for a few days for the HfL MAT Board meeting next week, so we have spent less time in some places than we would have liked.  As a result we were sad that we narrowly missed seeing friends who were on holiday in the Algarve.  We are looking forward to slowing down a bit once I get back from the UK and spending a bit more time working our way up the Spanish coast and being available to meet up with more friends and family if possible.  

We have travelled over 1500 nautical miles in the last 2 months to get us here to the entrance to the Med. Although we thought we might get to Greece by August we have realised that we need to go at a gentler pace and go where the wind blows; so our plans are shifting and Greece  is now looking much more likely in 2018 than 2017.